Customer Reviews

Kill Chain: An Evan Delaney Novel (Evan Delaney Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Evan Delaney is called to an accident site on Highway 1, where her father's car has gone off the road. However, she quickly discovers that there is no body. The authorities think Phil was trying to fake a suicide because, well, the authorities are usually missing a brick or two: a car falling off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean, then you might expect not to find a body, but a car falling into a ravine? Then Evan gets a phone call and she is informed her father has been kidnapped. She has 72 hours to find something to exchange for his life and it will involve taking her far away from Southern California, fleeing from not only the feds but also some rather unusual assassins, and whatever this is about has something to do with Jax Rivera. Meanwhile, Jesse finally checks his answering machine and finds a desperate message from Phil, telling him to keep Evan out of this at all costs: if not, Phil's family will become part of the kill chain. Of course, it is way too late for Jesse to keep Evan clear of this mess and the chase is on.

Because this is basically a chase story, this one ends up having less of Gardiner's trademark humor because, frankly, there is not a lot of time for that kind of stuff this time around. I read most of "Kill Chain" thinking this was the least impressive of the Evan Delaney thrillers to date, in part because I really enjoyed the previous story, Crosscut, but also because by the time you get to the fifth novel the formula is really becoming obvious. With Evan Delaney it is always personal and she is starting to run out of people in her life (of course, the solution to that is to add more people to her life). I was wrestling with whether I would be rounding up or down on "Kill Chain," and then starting to think I was going to have to go with a straight 4 star rating. That was, until I got to the endgame. Gardiner has been getting more and more cinematic in terms of the stunts, but in these last two books she has been working on damaging Evan's psyche as well as her body. But as the opening lines of this novel warn us: "Don't ever pray for insight. You're liable to get it." The end of this book really represents one step forward, and two giant steps backwards for our heroine and I can only wonder where does Evan go from here?

Between the author's name and the title of the book appears the words: "Hookers, Guns and Money. Everybody Pays," and, yes, a certain Warren Zevon song was immediately lodged in my mind. I see you can get this paperback from Amazon, which is a vast improvement from when I first tried to track them down and had to get four of the give from Amazon.uk (I never thought to look north of the border). My paperback edition comes from across the pond with a faux sticker on the cover with Stephen King's quote delcaring "She is up there with Michael Connelly and Lee Child." King raving about Gardiner's books on his website and in "Entertainment Weekly" may well have increased her readership to the point that there are more of us who checked out China Lake and the rest of these books because of his recommendation than there are those who lucked out by being onboard from the very beginning. Now I feel bad because I have no idea who those writers are, but since I am now all caught up on Gardiner's novels and have yet to pick up any sort of hint to when the next book comes out (yes, I will upgrade to hardback, because I am not waiting for a paperback sometime in 2008), I might have to check out Connelly and Child. After all, they are up there with Meg Gardiner.

Tanya Eby Sirois is an experienced voice performer who can swiftly move from a calm, centered tone to crisis mode. One can almost feel the adrenalin pumping as we listen to a temple chase scene. Also a writer Sirois has a keen understanding of that craft, which may be why she seems to accurately identify and reflect with her voice what an author is attempting to convey.

Followers of Meg Gardner's Evan Delaney series will be pleased not only with Sirois's voice performance but also with what is an exciting, high-octane story.

Many know how intrepid Evan can be; she really pushes the pedal when her father appears to be missing. His car is found totaled at the bottom of a California ravine. The police tend to think he committed suicide. Evan doesn't believe it for a minute. Then, she learns that he has been kidnaped. Not an ordinary gabbing mind you, no ransom required only a puzzle to solve within 72 hours.

She's off through the U.S., Thailand and the U.K. attempting to discover evidence that will save her father. She's up against some formidable enemies, including a brothel owner, the madam's way over the top son, and some other scary characters.

For those who like their audios served with shivers give a listen to Kill Chain.

- Gail Cooke

Gee this book was fun. I read it and I love female superhero types and this one is totally fun. Way better than most thrillers out there. Evan (our hero) is like a female James Bond or a Modesty Blaise type. If you're looking for some fun and a highly original thriller with a cliffhanger ending this is it. I love two of the villains named Bliss and Shiver. Meg had a great way of choosing names. I feel like this series could evolve into something very special and this book would make a great movie. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. Highly recommended. Fast blazing fun read. Would be perfect to take on summmer vacation.

Not only is our heroine more deeply involved than ever, she also is involved more in a chase than in a mystery.It would appear that her father has committed suicide, the only problem being that there's no body. Evan soon discovers that her father is alive, a kidnap victim, and that she has 72 hours to get the information that will save his life.This is fast paced action throughout, but there's also a lot of heart in this. I very much doubt any reader will take the three day time span encompassed by this thriller to read it. It's not a book you will want to lay down once you've started it.The heart I mentioned as being in it involves the contrast in three separate parent/child relationships, so this does become more than just a thriller.

If you love action, adventure, suspense and a quickly moving plot, Meg Gardiner will not disappoint you. Great read!

As most of the people who have written reviews for Meg Gardiner books, I also discoverd her via the artical Stephen King srote in Entertainment Weekly. Meg Gardiner has all the requirements of a writer that I am drawn to. She writes in first person, her heroine is smart and the most important the dialouge is "laugh out loud funny." I do hope that Ms. Gardiner does continue to write more Evan Delaney novels in the future and that they do become the "big hits" in the United States as they well deserve.

Evan Delaney is near hysterical when she learns her father's car has been found wrecked at the bottom of a California ravine. The local authorities believe Phil committed suicide, but cannot answer Evan's calm question of where the corpse is. The FBI believes Phil set up a death ploy to flee the country just before the DA was to file charges against him, but they fail to be specific as to his alleged crime when pressed by Evan. She believes law enforcement at all levels is CYA as her dad was a spy who came in from the cold as a whistle blower; she fears something sinister has happened to Phil as she knows he would have called her if he could.

Her fear proves right although she gains no satisfaction with the affirmation. An assassin for hire visits Evan; his wife Jax is also missing just like her dad. Since his spouse and here father worked together on the Riverbend Operation, he and Evan agree the same culprit abducted both of their loved ones. Rio Sanger is a madam who caters to men with particularly twisted desires; she calls Evan with a deal. In exchange for the location of where Phil is stashed, Evan is to deliver the Riverbend file, which she does not have and will have to go on a treasure hunt to find it. Evan is on a scavenger hunt of 72 hours and counting down; the prize saving Phil.

Meg Gardiner writes some of the best suspense thrillers on the market today. In KILL CHAIN the author surprises her audiences with the way the story line develops as each spin seems plausible but comes from nowhere; finishing with an explosive climax that will shock the readers and the heroine. Evan is a strong willed individual who will need every ounce of her iron determination to save her dad irregardless of the consequences to herself. She is at her best fighting impossible odds established by a ruthless unknown adversary who does not mind collateral damage.

Harriet Klausner

Sorry for the lack of content in this review (I'm still finishing Crosscut). I received my copy of Killchain today in the mail and it's almost twice the physical size of her other paperbacks (in size not # of pages). This confuses me, did I receive a copy for the vision-impaired or are all of the Killchain paperbacks this huge?